The invention relates generally to a mobile yard vacuum cart for use with hand-held leaf blowers. More particularly, the invention relates to a wheeled mounted vacuum and trash can cart that allows any hand-held leaf blower to be easily attached for collecting leaves, grass clippings, and other lawn debris from a yard.
Deciduous trees with their leafy boughs enhance the beauty of suburban property. As sure as they cast off their snowy coats in the winter, budding in the spring to produce the summer's shade, so too must the colorful autumn leaves inevitably fall. The fallen leaves create a formidable task for the homeowner of raking, bagging, and possibly mulching or disposing of these leaves. Trees contribute other debris that must be disposed properly, such as acorns, tree nuts, and seed pods. Leaving the leaves and debris in place causes future problems. Tree leaf mold, a common allergen, grows quickly, creating health issues for the people in the neighborhood. The mold sometimes spreads to plants below. Thick layers of entire leaves, especially of maples and oaks, can form a soggy mat in winter and spring which can impede the new growth of lawn grass and other plants. Generally, lawn clean up becomes a necessary, time-consuming, and often strenuous task.
The homeowner can choose from a simple rake to the high-powered tractor for the cleanup. When the homeowner uses a rake, he or she must move all the leaves and debris into large piles, place the waste materials into bags and move the bags either to the curb or to a designated municipal dump or conservation center. If the homeowner decides to use a leaf blower, he or she still is required to create large piles of leaves and debris, place the materials into bags and move the bags. While leaf blowers are relatively light in weight, carrying them around the yard, slung on a shoulder or held in hand, rapidly becomes tiring. The leaf blower does not assist in placing the leaves in bags, which remains a manual operation.
For those whose yard or lawn is measured in acres, they have the option of using various carts and wheeled bagging devices that attach to tractors, riding mowers and even golf carts. However, for the homeowner whose property measures in a fraction of an acre, these types of riding equipment are not economical or practical.
Most leaf blower can operate in a blower mode and a vacuum mode, depending on whether the homeowner is using a fan exhaust as a blower or a fan intake as a vacuum. When the equipment is used as a blower, the homeowner accumulates leaves in large piles. When the leaf blower is used as a vacuum, the leaves often time pass through the impeller blades of the fan before moving into a collection container. Along with collecting leaves, the impeller blades chop the leaves into smaller pieces for mulching and composting.
When the homeowner uses the leaf blower as a vacuum, often a bag is attached to the discharge tube to catch the leaves. This adds to the weight of the equipment on the arm or shoulder of the operator. Some have proposed putting wheels on the bag, so that it can be dragged behind the blower operator. Others have proposed an elongated sleeve and shroud that fits over a bin so that the leaves move directly from the discharge tube into a collection container. Still others have proposed lids and other devices to fit on the bin that have a connection to the discharge tube of the leaf blower. However, movement is limited to the area within the radius of the length of tubing connecting the collection container with the leaf blower. The homeowner must stop, pick up and carry or drag the bin while carrying the leaf blower with the extra long tubing to the next area awaiting cleanup. Others have put the bin on wheels or a cart, still requiring the operator to carry the leaf blower while dragging the wheeled bin behind.
People have tried to adapt powerful leaf blowers for vacuuming up not just leaves, grass clippings and other plant debris, but also litter and trash. In addition, the leaf blower is attached to a wheeled bin. However, because this device picks up all types of materials, the device is designed to bypass the impeller and does not mulch or chop plant material. This device still requires the operator to drag the cart with one hand while manipulating the intake tubing to pick up the leaves, debris or litter.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.